Kamakura Bori

Carving first, lacquer after

Kamakura Bori is known for powerful, bold carving. A unique finish sprinkles makomo-zumi, a dark powder, onto vermilion lacquer to deepen the shadows and make the relief stand out. Nothing else in Japanese lacquer looks quite like it. It is made in Kamakura, Yokohama, Fujisawa and other cities in Kanagawa, as trays, plates, saucers, bowls and boxes.

Knife marks and soot

Soft katsura wood is turned or built into a base, carved, then lacquered. Carvers leave knife marks on the background around the pattern. After raw lacquer, charcoal and whetstone powders are sprinkled on, and just as the top coat dries, soot balls are used to give the vermilion an aged look.

Zen art, carved in wood

In the Kamakura period, Zen Buddhism arrived from China along with many works of art. Inspired by Chinese carved lacquer such as tsuishu (carved red) and tsuikoku (carved black), Buddhist sculptors and temple carpenters began carving wooden vessels and coating them with lacquer. Early pieces were mostly large incense boxes for Zen temples. From the late Muromachi period it spread as tea ceremony ware.